Vacuum cleaner

ABSTRACT

The present invention discloses a vacuum cleaner which can improve the cleaning performance by filtering off impurities from the sucked air twice according to a cyclone method, and allow the user to easily discharge the collected impurities. The vacuum cleaner includes a primary cyclone unit ( 100 ), a secondary cyclone unit ( 120 ), and a passage partition unit ( 131 ) formed between the primary cyclone unit and the secondary cyclone unit. The sucked air is primarily filtered in the primary cyclone unit ( 110 ), and secondarily filtered in the secondary cyclone unit ( 120 ), thereby improving the cleaning performance. In addition, a dust container ( 140 ) is detachably coupled to the primary cyclone unit ( 110 ) or the secondary cyclone unit ( 120 ). Therefore, the user can easily remove the impurities collected in the dust container ( 140 ) by separating the dust container ( 140 ) from the primary and secondary cyclone units.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a vacuum cleaner which can filter offimpurities from the sucked air twice according to a cyclone method.

BACKGROUND ART

In general, a vacuum cleaner is an apparatus for cleaning an indoorspace, by sucking the air by a vacuum suction force and filtering offdust from the air through various filters.

The vacuum cleaners are classified into a cylindrical floor type, anupright type and a hand type according to uses and movement methods. Thefloor type vacuum cleaner, which is intended for home use, canefficiently remove small particles such as dust, the upright type vacuumcleaner can clean the floor such as a carpet, and the hand type vacuumcleaner can efficiently clean a narrow space such as stairs and desks.

The vacuum cleaners are also classified into a filter type and a cyclonetype according to methods of filtering off impurities such as dust andhairs from the sucked air. The filter type vacuum cleaner filters theair including the impurities through a dust bag made of a kind of cloth.That is, the filter type vacuum cleaner needs the dust bag which must beperiodically replaced. Meanwhile, the cyclone type vacuum cleanerrotates and lowers the sucked air including the impurities, so that theimpurities of the sucked air can be dropped to the bottom due to theself weight. Recently, the cyclone type vacuum cleaner, which does notneed the dust bag, has been popularly used.

Moreover, the cyclone type vacuum cleaner filters off the impuritiestwice through an inner cyclone and an outer cyclone to improve thecleaning performance.

FIGS. 1 and 2 are a perspective view and a side-sectional viewillustrating a dust collection apparatus for a conventional vacuumcleaner, respectively.

One example of the double cyclone for the conventional vacuum cleanerwill now be explained with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. A conical innercyclone 4 is installed inside a cylindrical outer cyclone 2, a mesh 6for filtering off impurities from the air rising from the bottom surfaceof the outer cyclone 2 is installed on the outer circumference of theinner cyclone 4, a scattering prevention unit 6 a for preventingre-scattering of the impurities is installed at the bottom end of themesh 6, and an extension unit 8 is installed at the lower portion of theinner cyclone 4 to contact the inside surface of the outer cyclone 2.Therefore, an outer dust container 9 a is formed between the upperportion of the extension unit 8 and the inside surface of the outercyclone 2, and an inner dust container 9 b is formed between the lowerportion of the extension unit 8 and the bottom surface of the outercyclone 2.

A pair of suction passages 2 a for introducing the sucked air are formedon the inside upper portion of the outer cyclone 2, and a dischargepassage 2 b for discharging the filtered air is formed on the topsurface of the outer cyclone 2. Both side chambers 4 a are formed at theoutside upper portion of the inner cyclone 4, so that the air passingthrough the mesh 6 can flow into the chambers 4 a.

When the suction force is generated, the sucked air including theimpurities is rotated and lowered along the inside surface of the outercyclone 2 through the suction passages 2 a. The impurities of the suckedair are dropped due to the self weight and collected in the outer dustcontainer 9 a. The air primarily filtered in the outer cyclone 2 islifted. Even if the impurities are re-scattered with the air, they aredropped by the scattering prevention unit 6 a.

The air passed through the outer cyclone 2 is rotated and lowered alongthe inside surface of the inner cyclone 4 through the chambers 4 a. Theremaining impurities of the air are dropped due to the self weight andcollected in the inner dust container 9 b. The air secondarily filteredin the inner cyclone 4 is lifted and discharged through the dischargepassage 2 b.

The impurities filtered off in the outer cyclone 2 and the inner cyclone4 are collected in the outer dust container 9 a and the inner dustcontainer 9 b. The impurities can be removed by separating the lowerportion of the outer cyclone 2, or discharged through the lower portion.

In the double cyclone type dust collection apparatus, the inner cyclone4 is installed inside the outer cyclone 2, and the mesh 6 is installedbetween the outer cyclone 2 and the inner cyclone 4. The mesh 6 isoperated as a resistance to the cyclone flow in the outer cyclone 2,thereby reducing the cleaning performance.

In addition, the inner cyclone 4 is installed inside the outer cyclone2, and the extension unit 8 is installed at the lower portion of theinner cyclone 4 to individually form the outer dust container 9 a andthe inner dust container 9 b. As volumes of the dust containers 9 a and9 b are limited, the impurities must be often removed. In order toremove the impurities, the user must separate the inner cyclone 4 fromthe outer cyclone 2 and turn the outer cyclone 2 upside down. It causesinconvenience to the user.

Accordingly, in the double cyclone type dust collection apparatus, amethod of increasing the length of the outer cyclone 2 has beensuggested to improve the cleaning performance by installing the mesh 6and increasing the volumes of the dust containers 9 a and 9 b. However,as the whole length of the dust collection apparatus increases, itcannot be easily built in the vacuum cleaner.

FIG. 3 is a partially cutaway perspective view illustrating anotherexample of the dust collection apparatus for the conventional vacuumcleaner. Another example of the double cyclone for the conventionalvacuum cleaner will now be described with reference to FIG. 3. Acylindrical inner cyclone 12 smaller than a cylindrical main body 11 isformed at the center portion of the main body 11, a plurality of conicalouter cyclones 14 are arranged between the main body 11 and the innercyclone 12 in the circumferential direction at predetermined intervalsto contact each other, a mesh 16 is installed at the center portion ofthe inner cyclone 12 to hang down, and a scattering prevention unit 18is extended from the bottom end of the mesh 16 and downwardly inclinedso as to prevent the impurities filtered off in the inner cyclone 12from being lifted with the rising air current.

An inflow tube 12 a for introducing the sucked air to the inside upperportion of the inner cyclone 12 is formed to pass through the main body11 and the inner cyclone 12, and an outflow tube (not shown) fordischarging the air passing through the outer cyclones 14 is formed atthe upper portion of the main body 11. Inlets (not shown) for suckingthe air and dust discharge holes 14 a for discharging the impuritiessuch as dust are formed at the upper portions and bottom ends of theouter cyclones 14, respectively. In addition, outlets 14 b fordischarging the filtered air are formed on the top surfaces of the outercyclones 14.

The air filtered in the inner cyclone 12 is lifted and introduced to theupper portions of the outer cyclones 14. Here, passages for externallydischarging the air filtered in the outer cyclones 14 are formed tocommunicate with each other.

An inner dust container 19 a for collecting the impurities filtered offin the inner cyclone 12 is formed on the bottom surface of the innercyclone 12, and an outer dust container 19 b for collecting theimpurities filtered off in the outer cyclones 14 is formed on the bottomsurface between the main body 11 and the inner cyclone 12.

When the suction force is generated, the sucked air including theimpurities is rotated and lowered along the inside surface of the innercyclone 12 through the inflow tube 12 a. The impurities of the suckedair are dropped due to the self weight and collected in the inner dustcontainer 19 a. The air primarily filtered in the inner cyclone 12 islifted.

Even if the impurities collected in the inner dust container 19 a arelifted with the air rising from the bottom surface of the inner cyclone12, they are dropped to the inner dust container 19 a by the scatteringprevention unit 18.

The air passed through the inner cyclone 12 is rotated and lowered alongthe inside surfaces of the outer cyclones 14 through the inlets of theouter cyclones 14, respectively. The remaining impurities of the air aredropped due to the self weight through the dust discharge holes 14 a ofthe outer cyclones 14, respectively, and collected in the outer dustcontainer 19 b. The air secondarily filtered in the outer cyclones 14 islifted and discharged through the discharge holes 14 b of the outercyclones 14 and the outflow tube.

The impurities filtered off in the inner cyclone 12 and the outercyclones 14 are collected in the inner dust container 19 a and the outerdust container 19 b. The impurities can be removed by separating thelower portion of the main body 11, or discharged through the lowerportion.

In the double cyclone type dust collection apparatus, when the suckedair passes through the inner cyclone 12, the relatively large impuritiesare collected in the inner dust container 19 a, and when the air passesthrough the vertically installed mesh 16 and each outer cyclone 14, therelatively small impurities are collected in the outer dust container 19b.

Since the mesh 16 is installed inside the inner cyclone 12 smaller thanthe outer cyclones 14, the mesh 16 is operated as a resistance to thecyclone flow in the inner cyclone 12, thereby reducing the cleaningperformance. The inner dust container 19 a is hidden by the outer dustcontainer 19 b, so that the user cannot remove the impurities collectedin the inner dust container 19 a, such as hairs and dust at anappropriate time. On the other hand, the outer dust container 19 b forcollecting the relatively small impurities is larger than the inner dustcontainer 19 a for collecting the relatively large impurities, whichreduces spatial efficiency. The mesh 16, which is installed inside theinner dust container 19 a, has a small diameter. Therefore, hairs areeasily hooked on the mesh 16. The mesh 16 is also hidden by the outerdust container 19 a, so that the user cannot directly remove the hairsfrom the mesh 16. Moreover, the hairs are operated as flow resistancesreducing the suction performance.

To remove the impurities, the user must carry the whole dust collectionapparatus to a refuse bin, open a bottom cover for covering the bottomsurfaces of the inner dust container 19 a and the outer dust container19 b, and discharge the impurities. That is, it causes inconvenience tothe user.

DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION Technical Problem

The present invention is achieved to solve the above problems. An objectof the present invention is to provide a vacuum cleaner which canimprove the cleaning performance by filtering off impurities from thesucked air twice according to a cyclone method.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a vacuum cleanerwhich can reduce the whole length and improve the cleaning performance,by widening a cyclone flow generation space in a limited space.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a vacuumcleaner which can reduce the whole length and improve the cleaningperformance, by suppressing a flow resistance in a cyclone flowgeneration space.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a vacuumcleaner which can allow the user to easily remove impurities byseparating only a dust container for collecting the impurities.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a vacuumcleaner which can allow the user to remove impurities at an appropriatetime and easily approach and remove hairs from a passage, by forming adust container for collecting secondarily filtered impurities inside adust container for collecting primarily filtered impurities.

Technical Solution

In order to achieve the above-described objects of the invention, thereis provided a vacuum cleaner, including: a primary cyclone unit forprimarily separating impurities from the sucked air by primary cycloneflow; a secondary cyclone unit for secondarily separating impuritiesfrom the air passed through the primary cyclone unit by secondarycyclone flow inside a plurality of secondary cyclones, and collectingthe impurities at the center portion of the primary cyclone unit; and afirst passage partition unit for guiding the flow of the primary cycloneunit to inlets of the secondary cyclones, respectively.

The secondary cyclones are formed in an inclined conical shape withoutlets and dust discharge holes at both axial direction ends, thesurfaces of which contacting the first passage partition unit beinghorizontal.

The vacuum cleaner includes vortex prevention units for partitioning theoutlets of the secondary cyclones in order to prevent a vortex of theair discharged through the outlets of the secondary cyclones.

The vortex prevention units are partition walls installed to cross theoutlets of the secondary cyclones.

The vortex prevention units are cylindrical members installed on theoutlets of the secondary cyclones in the axial direction.

The first passage partition unit seals up the gap between the inlet ofthe primary cyclone unit and the outlets of the secondary cyclones, andpartially covers the outside surfaces of the secondary cyclones.

The vacuum cleaner further includes a mesh unit upwardly isolated fromthe inside bottom surface of the primary cyclone unit at a predeterminedinterval.

The first passage partition unit further includes a region with aplurality of through holes.

The inlets of the secondary cyclones are adjacent to the outsidesurfaces of the secondary cyclones covered by the first passagepartition unit.

The inlets of the secondary cyclones are opened in the same direction.

The vacuum cleaner further includes a second passage partition unit forisolating the inside flow of the primary cyclone unit from passages fromthe outlets of the secondary cyclones.

The second passage partition unit seals up the spaces between thesecondary cyclones in order to increase the sectional area of thepassages from the outlets of the secondary cyclones.

The secondary cyclones are formed inside the inlet of the primarycyclone unit.

The first passage partition unit isolates the outlets of the secondarycyclones from the inlet of the primary cyclone unit, and has its sectiondownwardly inclined toward the center portion.

The primary cyclone unit includes a primary dust container forcollecting impurities, and the secondary cyclone unit includes asecondary dust container installed at the center portion of the primarydust container to communicate with the dust discharge holes of thesecondary cyclones. The first passage partition unit is integrallyformed with the secondary dust container.

The vacuum cleaner further includes a dust container detachably coupledto at least one of the primary cyclone unit and the secondary cycloneunit, for collecting the impurities separated in the primary cycloneunit or the secondary cyclone unit.

The dust container includes a primary dust container for collecting theimpurities from the primary cyclone unit, and a secondary dust containerformed in the primary dust container, for collecting the impurities fromthe secondary cyclone unit.

The vacuum cleaner further includes a sealing member installed betweenat least one of the primary cyclone unit and the secondary cyclone unitand the dust container.

A handle unit is formed at the outer portion of the dust container, andthe dust container is downwardly separated from the primary cyclone unitor the secondary cyclone unit by using the handle unit.

The vacuum cleaner further includes a dust separation plate installedbetween the primary and secondary cyclone units and the dust container.

The dust separation plate includes at least one opening unit for passingdust.

The dust separation plate is detachably coupled to the dust container.

The dust separation plate is detachably coupled to the primary cycloneunit or the secondary cyclone unit.

In another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a vacuumcleaner, including: a primary cyclone unit for primarily separating andcollecting impurities from the sucked air by primary cyclone flow; asecondary cyclone unit for secondarily separating and collectingimpurities from the air passed through the primary cyclone unit bysecondary cyclone flow; and a dust container detachably coupled to atleast one of the primary and secondary cyclone units, for collecting theimpurities separated in the primary and secondary cyclone units.

The dust container includes a primary dust container for collecting theimpurities from the primary cyclone unit, and a secondary dust containerformed in the primary dust container, for collecting the impurities fromthe secondary cyclone unit.

The vacuum cleaner further includes a sealing member installed betweenat least one of the primary cyclone unit and the secondary cyclone unitand the dust container.

A handle unit is formed at the outer portion of the dust container, andthe dust container is downwardly separated from the primary cyclone unitor the secondary cyclone unit by using the handle unit.

The vacuum cleaner further includes a dust separation plate installedbetween the primary and secondary cyclone units and the dust container.

The dust separation plate includes at least one opening unit for passingdust.

The dust separation plate is detachably coupled to the dust container.

The dust separation plate is detachably coupled to the primary cycloneunit or the secondary cyclone unit.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention will become better understood with reference tothe accompanying drawings which are given only by way of illustrationand thus are not limitative of the present invention, wherein:

FIGS. 1 and 2 are a perspective view and a side-sectional viewillustrating one example of a dust collection apparatus for aconventional vacuum cleaner, respectively;

FIG. 3 is a partially cutaway perspective view illustrating anotherexample of the dust collection apparatus for the conventional vacuumcleaner,

FIG. 4 is a perspective view illustrating a dust collection apparatusfor a vacuum cleaner in accordance with a first embodiment of thepresent invention;

FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view illustrating the dust collectionapparatus for the vacuum cleaner in accordance with the first embodimentof the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a side-sectional view illustrating the dust collectionapparatus for the vacuum cleaner in accordance with the first embodimentof the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a partially cutaway perspective view illustrating the dustcollection apparatus for the vacuum cleaner in accordance with the firstembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view illustrating a dust collection apparatusfor a vacuum cleaner in accordance with a second embodiment of thepresent invention;

FIG. 9 is an exploded perspective view illustrating the dust collectionapparatus for the vacuum cleaner in accordance with the secondembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 10 is a side-sectional view illustrating the dust collectionapparatus for the vacuum cleaner in accordance with the secondembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 11 is a partially cutaway perspective view illustrating the dustcollection apparatus for the vacuum cleaner in accordance with thesecond embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 12 is a perspective view illustrating a dust collection apparatusfor a vacuum cleaner in accordance with a third embodiment of thepresent invention;

FIG. 13 is an exploded perspective view illustrating the dust collectionapparatus for the vacuum cleaner in accordance with the third embodimentof the present invention;

FIG. 14 is a side-sectional view illustrating the dust collectionapparatus for the vacuum cleaner in accordance with the third embodimentof the present invention;

FIG. 15 is a partially cutaway perspective view illustrating the dustcollection apparatus for the vacuum cleaner in accordance with the thirdembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 16 is a upper view illustrating major elements of the dustcollection apparatus for the vacuum cleaner in accordance with the thirdembodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 17 is a lower view illustrating the major elements of the dustcollection apparatus for the vacuum cleaner in accordance with the thirdembodiment of the present invention.

MODE FOR THE INVENTION

A vacuum cleaner in accordance with the preferred embodiments of thepresent invention will now be described in detail with reference to theaccompanying drawings.

FIGS. 4 to 7 are a perspective view, an exploded perspective view, aside-sectional view and a partially cutaway perspective viewillustrating a dust collection apparatus for a vacuum cleaner inaccordance with a first embodiment of the present invention.

In accordance with the first embodiment of the present invention,referring to FIGS. 4 to 7, the dust collection apparatus for the vacuumcleaner includes a primary cyclone unit 110 for filtering off impuritiesof the sucked air flowing in the vertical direction according to acyclone method, a secondary cyclone unit 120 for filtering offimpurities of the air passed through the primary cyclone unit 110 andflowing in the horizontal direction according to the cyclone method,first and second passage partition units 131 and 132 installed betweenthe primary cyclone unit 110 and the secondary cyclone unit 120, forguiding/partitioning the flow, a mesh unit 133 for filtering off largeimpurities such as hairs from the flow, and a dust container 140detachably coupled to the primary cyclone unit 110 or the secondarycyclone unit 120, for collecting the impurities.

In more detail, the primary cyclone unit 110 includes an inlet (notshown) for introducing the sucked air, and an outlet (not shown) fordischarging the filtered air. An inflow tube 111 and an outflow tube 112for guiding the flow are connected to the inlet and the outlet.

The inflow tube 111 is connected to a vertical cylindrical cyclone mainbody 113 in the tangential direction, for generating spiral flow, andthe outflow tube 112 is connected to a cap-shaped cyclone cover 114 forcovering the cyclone main body 113.

In the secondary cyclone unit 120, a plurality of cyclone units 121 arehorizontally arranged in a circumferential direction of a verticalcylindrical dust guide unit 122. The plurality of cyclone units 121 andthe dust guide unit 122 are disposed to communicate with each other, andthe top end of the dust guide unit 122 is blocked.

The cyclone units 121 and the upper portion of the dust guide unit 122are disposed inside the cyclone cover 114, and the lower portion of thedust guide unit 122 is disposed inside the cyclone main body 113.

Especially, the cyclone units 121 are formed in a conical shape withtheir diameters reduced from the outside ends to the inside ends in theaxial direction, namely, toward the dust guide unit 122. As the bottomsurfaces of the cyclone units 121 are horizontal, the cyclone units 121form the inclined conical shapes.

Inlets 121 a for sucking the air are formed on the outside end bottomsurfaces of the cyclone units 121, dust discharge holes 121 b fordischarging impurities are formed on the inside ends of the cycloneunits 121, and outlets 121 c for discharging the filtered air are formedon the outside ends of the cyclone units 121. Here, one inlet 121 a isformed on each cyclone unit 121 and opened in the same direction.

Vortex prevention units 123 for preventing an vortex of the air areformed on the outlets 121 c of the cyclone units 121, respectively. Thevortex prevention units 123 can be formed in a cylindrical shape with asmaller diameter than that of the outlets 121 c of the cyclone units121, and installed in the same axial direction with the cyclone units121, for partitioning the outlets 121 c of the cyclone units 121. Foreasy production, the vortex prevention units 123 can be formed aspartition walls for partitioning the outlets 121 c of the cyclone units121. In this case, the vortex prevention units 123 can prevent thevortex of the air.

The first passage partition unit 131 is a ring-shaped flat plate forguiding the flow of the cyclone main body 113 to the inlets 121 a of thecyclone units 121, respectively, and sealing up the gap between theinflow tube 111 of the primary cyclone unit 110 and the outlets 121 c ofthe cyclone units 121.

That is, the inner circumferential end of the first passage partitionunit 131 covers the inlet formed portions 121 a of the cyclone units121, and the outer circumferential end thereof is interlocked with theinner circumference of the cyclone main body 113 or the cyclone cover114 to partition the inflow tube 111 and the outflow tube 112 of theprimary cyclone unit 110.

The inner circumferential end of the first passage partition unit 131contacts the outside end bottom surfaces of the cyclone units 121. Theinlets 121 a of the cyclone units 121 are extended from the innercircumferential end of the first passage partition unit 131. The air isguided by the inner circumferential end of the first passage partitionunit 131, and sucked into the inlets 121 a of the cyclone units 121.

The second passage partition unit 132 serves to isolate the inside flowof the primary cyclone unit 110 from the flow from the outlets 121 c ofthe cyclone units 121.

More preferably, the second passage partition unit 132 seals up thespaces between the cyclone units 121 so as to increase the sectionalarea of the passages from the outlets 121 c of the cyclone units 121inside the cyclone cover 114. The second passage partition unit 132connects each cyclone unit 121 to the dust guide unit 122 in thecircumferential direction, and also connects the outside ends of thecyclone units 121.

The edges of the second passage partition unit 132 can be smoothed toguide the flow passing through the outlets 121 c of the cyclone units121. If the second passage partition unit 132 is formed in a lowerposition than the outlets 121 c of the cyclone units 121, a flowresistance of the air discharged from the outlets 121 c of the cycloneunits 121 can be more reduced.

The mesh unit 133, which is a member having through holes, is upwardlyisolated from the inside bottom surface of the primary cyclone unit 110at a predetermined interval. The mesh unit 133 filters off impuritiessuch as hairs from the flow rising from the inside bottom surface of theprimary cyclone unit 110.

The diameter of the mesh unit 133 is reduced from the top to bottom end,so that the mesh unit 133 cannot be operated as a resistance to thecyclone flow of the primary cyclone unit 110. The top end of the meshunit 133 contacts the inner circumferential end of the first passagepartition unit 131, and the bottom end thereof contacts the dust guideunit 122.

The dust container 140 includes a primary dust container 141 forcollecting the impurities separated in the primary cyclone unit 110, anda secondary dust container 142 installed at the center portion of theprimary dust container 141, for collecting the impurities separated inthe secondary cyclone unit 120. The primary dust container 141 and thesecondary dust container 142 can be integrally formed.

The primary dust container 141 is formed in a container shape andcoupled to the bottom end of the cyclone main body 113, and thesecondary dust container 142 is formed in a cylindrical shape andcoupled to the bottom end of the dust guide unit 122. The primary dustcontainer 141 and the secondary dust container 142 can be made of atransparent or semitransparent material to be externally shown.

A dust separation plate 143 is provided to prevent re-scattering of theimpurities collected in the primary dust container 141 and the secondarydust container 142. At least one opening unit (not shown) for passingthe impurities is formed on the dust separation plate 143.

More preferably, the inner circumference of the dust separation plate143 is coupled to the outer circumference of the top end of thesecondary dust container 142, and the outer circumference thereof isinstalled with a predetermined interval 143 h from the innercircumference of the top end of the primary dust container 141 in theradial direction. Otherwise, the inner circumference of the dustseparation plate 143 is disposed with a predetermined interval from theouter circumference of the top end of the secondary dust container 142in the radial direction, and the outer circumference thereof is coupledto the inner circumference of the top end of the primary dust container141.

Since the dust separation plate 143 is detachably coupled to the dustcontainer 140, when the dust container 140 is separated and moved, thedust collected in the dust container 140 is not scattered by the dustseparation plate 143. However, the user must separate the dustseparation plate 143 in person.

On the other hand, the dust separation plate 143 can be coupled to theouter circumference of the bottom end of the dust guide unit 122 or theinner circumference of the bottom end of the cyclone main body 113. Inthe case that the dust separation plate 143 is detachably coupled to theprimary cyclone unit 110 or the secondary cyclone unit 120, when thedust container 140 is separated and moved, some impurities may bescattered. Nevertheless, the user can directly discharge the impuritieswithout separating the dust separation plate 143.

A handle unit 144 which the user can hold is integrally formed on theouter circumference of the primary dust container 141. If the primarydust container 141 and the secondary dust container 142 are integrallyformed and the bottom surfaces thereof are downwardly opened from oneside hinge end, the impurities can be easily discharged.

The dust container 140 can be coupled to the primary cyclone unit 110and the secondary cyclone unit 120 at the same time. Preferably, atleast one sealing member 145 and 146 is disposed at the couplingportions, for preventing leakage of fine dust from the couplingportions. The large ring-shaped sealing member 145 is interposed betweenthe cyclone main body 113 and the primary dust container 141, and thesmall ring-shaped sealing member 146 is interposed between the dustguide unit 122 and the secondary dust container 142.

The operation of the dust collection apparatus for the vacuum cleaner inaccordance with the first embodiment of the present invention will nowbe described.

When the suction force is generated, the air sucked through the inflowtube 111 is guided toward the inner wall of the cyclone main body 113,and thus spirally downwardly moved. The relatively large impurities ofthe cyclone flow are dropped due to the self weight, and collected inthe primary dust container 141 through the space between the cyclonemain body 113 and the dust separation plate 143.

Even if the impurities collected in the primary dust container 141 arere-scattered by the rising air current of the cyclone flow in thecyclone main body 113, the impurities are settled by the dust separationplate 143. Only the primarily filtered air is vertically lifted andpassed through the mesh unit 133. The impurities such as hairs arefiltered off through the mesh unit 133.

The air passed through the mesh unit 133 is guided to the inlets 121 aof the cyclone units 121 by the first passage partition unit 131. Theair introduced through the inlets 121 a of the cyclone units 121 arespirally moved to the center portions along the inside surfaces of thecyclone units 121. The impurities are collected in the dust guide unit122 and the secondary dust container 142 through the dust dischargeholes 121 b of the cyclone units 121. The secondarily filtered air isoutwardly horizontally moved in the cyclone units 121, and dischargedthrough the outlets 121 c of the cyclone units 121.

The air discharged through the outlets 121 c of the cyclone units 121 isnot mixed with the flow of the cyclone main body 113 by the secondpassage partition unit 132, but passed through the space between thesecond passage partition unit 132 and the cyclone cover 114 andcompletely externally discharged through the outflow tube 112.

As a result, the impurities are filtered off twice according to thecyclone method, which improves the cleaning performance. The user caneasily remove the impurities collected in the dust container 140 byseparating the dust container 140 from the primary cyclone unit 110 andthe secondary cyclone unit 120.

FIGS. 8 to 11 are a perspective view, an exploded perspective view, aside-sectional view and a partially cutaway perspective viewillustrating a dust collection apparatus for a vacuum cleaner inaccordance with a second embodiment of the present invention.

As illustrated in FIGS. 8 to 11, the second embodiment of the presentinvention is identical to the first embodiment described above exceptthat an inflow tube 211 is formed in a higher position and cyclone units221 are disposed inside the inflow tube 211. Therefore, a shape of afirst passage partition unit 231 is changed to isolate the air suckedthrough the inflow tube 211 from the cyclone units 221.

In more detail, a primary cyclone unit 210 includes the inflow tube 211,an outflow tube 212, a cyclone main body 213 and a cyclone cover 214.The inflow tube 211 and the outflow tube 212 are disposed on the cyclonecover 214.

The inflow tube 211 is connected to the cyclone cover 214 in thetangential direction, so that the sucked air can be spirally downwardlymoved along the inner walls of the cyclone cover 214 and the cyclonemain body 213.

A secondary cyclone unit 220 includes the cyclone units 221 and a dustguide unit 222. A dust container 240 includes a primary dust container241, a secondary dust container 242, a dust separation plate 243, ahandle unit 244 and sealing members 245 and 246. Besides the secondarycyclone unit 220 and the dust container 240, a second passage partitionunit 232 and a mesh unit 233 are identical to those of the firstembodiment, and thus are not explained.

The first passage partition unit 231 is installed between the inflowtube 211 and the cyclone units 221. The top end of the first passagepartition unit 231 contacts the inside top end of the cyclone cover 214,and the bottom end thereof partially covers the outside ends of thecyclone units 221 at the lower portion. Accordingly, the first passagepartition unit 231 has its section downwardly inclined toward the centerportion.

Here, inlets 221 a of the cyclone units 221 are opened from the bottomsurfaces of the cyclone units 221 contacting the bottom end of the firstpassage partition unit 231. Since the bottom end of the first passagepartition unit 231 is adjacent to the inlets 221 a of the cyclone units221, the first passage partition unit 231 guides the flow to the inlets221 a of the cyclone units 221, respectively.

The operation of the dust collection apparatus for the vacuum cleaner inaccordance with the second embodiment of the present invention will nowbe described. When the suction force is generated, the air suckedthrough the inflow tube 211 generates primary cyclone flow along theinner walls of the cyclone cover 214 and the cyclone main body 213. Theimpurities are separated and collected in the primary dust container241. Re-scattering of the impurities is prevented by the dust separationplate 243.

While the air sucked through the inflow tube 211 generates the cycloneflow along the cyclone cover 214 and the cyclone main body 213, theimpurities are separated from the air. As a result, the space ofprimarily generating the cyclone flow is widened to improve the cleaningperformance. Only the primarily filtered air is vertically lifted andpassed through the mesh unit 233. The impurities such as hairs arefiltered off through the mesh unit 233. The air passing through the meshunit 233 is guided to the inlets 221 a of the cyclone units 221 by thebottom end of the first passage partition unit 231.

The impurities of the air introduced to the cyclone units 221 aresecondarily separated by the cyclone flow. The impurities are collectedin the dust guide unit 222 and the secondary dust container 242 throughdust discharge holes 221 b of the cyclone units 221. The secondarilyfiltered air is discharged through outlets 221 c of the cyclone units221.

The air discharged through the outlets 221 c of the cyclone units 221 isnot mixed with the flow of the cyclone main body 213 by the first andsecond passage partition units 231 and 232, but passed through the spacebetween the first and second passage partition units 231 and 232 and thecyclone cover 214 and completely externally discharged through theoutflow tube 212. The user can easily remove the impurities collected inthe dust container 240 by separating the dust container 240 from theprimary cyclone unit 210 and the secondary cyclone unit 220.

FIGS. 12 to 15 are a perspective view, an exploded perspective view, aside-sectional view and a partially cutaway perspective viewillustrating a dust collection apparatus for a vacuum cleaner inaccordance with a third embodiment of the present invention. FIGS. 16and 17 are a upper view and a lower view illustrating the dustcollection apparatus for the vacuum cleaner in accordance with the thirdembodiment of the present invention.

In accordance with the third embodiment of the present invention,referring to FIGS. 12 to 17, the dust collection apparatus for thevacuum cleaner includes a primary cyclone unit 310 for filtering offimpurities of the sucked air flowing in the vertical direction accordingto a cyclone method, a secondary cyclone unit 320 for filtering offimpurities of the air passed through the primary cyclone unit 310 andflowing in the horizontal direction according to the cyclone method,first and second passage partition units 331 and 332 installed betweenthe primary cyclone unit 310 and the secondary cyclone unit 320, forguiding/partitioning the flow, and a dust container 340 detachablycoupled to the primary cyclone unit 310 or the secondary cyclone unit320, for collecting the impurities.

In more detail, the primary cyclone unit 310 includes an inlet (notshown) for introducing the sucked air, and an outlet (not shown) fordischarging the filtered air. An inflow tube 311 and an outflow tube 312for guiding the flow are connected to the inlet and the outlet.

The inflow tube 311 is connected to a vertical cylindrical cyclone mainbody 313 in the tangential direction, for generating spiral flow, andthe outflow tube 312 is connected to a cap-shaped cyclone cover 314 forcovering the cyclone main body 313.

In the secondary cyclone unit 320, a plurality of cyclone units 321 arehorizontally arranged in a circumferential direction of a verticalcylindrical dust guide unit 322. The plurality of cyclone units 321 andthe dust guide unit 322 are disposed to communicate with each other, andthe top end of the dust guide unit 322 is blocked.

The cyclone units 321 and the upper portion of the dust guide unit 322are disposed inside the cyclone cover 314, and the lower portion of thedust guide unit 322 is disposed inside the cyclone main body 313. Thecyclone units 321, inlets 321 a, dust discharge holes 321 b and outlets321 c of the cyclone units 321, and vortex prevention units 323 areidentical to those of the first and second embodiments, and thusexplanations thereof are omitted.

The first passage partition unit 331 is a ring-shaped flat plate forguiding the flow of the cyclone main body 313 to the inlets 321 a of thecyclone units 321, respectively, and sealing up the gap between theinflow tube 311 of the primary cyclone unit 310 and the outlets 321 c ofthe cyclone units 321. Through hole are formed at the center portion ofthe first passage partition unit 331.

That is, a partition unit 331 a which does not have the through holes isformed on the circumference of the first passage partition unit 331, anda through hole unit 331 b having the through holes is formed at thecenter portion of the first passage partition unit 331.

Here, the partition unit 331 a is interlocked with the innercircumference of the cyclone main body 313 or the cyclone cover 314 topartition the inflow tube 311 and the outflow tube 312 of the primarycyclone unit 310. In addition, the partition unit 331 a covers theinlets 321 a formed at the lower portion of the cyclone units 321. Partof the partition unit 331 a guides the air passing through the cyclonemain body 313 to the inlets 312 a of the cyclone units 321.

The through hole unit 331 b covers the inlet non-formed portions of thecyclone units 321 at the lower portion. The dust guide unit 322 passesthrough the center portion of the through hole unit 331 b. The throughhole unit 331 b filters off impurities such as hairs from the flowrising from the inside bottom surface of the primary cyclone unit 310.

The partition unit 331 a and the through hole unit 331 b are integrallyformed and horizontally installed at the lower portions of the cycloneunits 321, thereby remarkably reducing the installation space in theprimary cyclone unit 310. This structure is not operated as a resistanceto the cyclone flow, thereby improving the cleaning performance.

The second passage partition unit 332 serves to isolate the inside flowof the primary cyclone unit 310 from the flow from the outlets 321 c ofthe cyclone units 321. The second passage partition unit 332 isidentical to that of the first and second embodiments, and thusexplanations thereof are omitted.

The dust container 340 includes a primary dust container 341 forcollecting impurities from the primary cyclone unit 310, a secondarydust container 342 for collecting impurities from the secondary cycloneunit 320, a dust separation plate 343 for preventing re-scattering ofthe impurities, and at least one sealing member 345 and 346 disposed atthe coupling portions, for preventing leakage of fine dust from thecoupling portions. These elements are also identical to those of thefirst and second embodiments, and thus detailed explanations thereof areomitted.

The operation of the dust collection apparatus for the vacuum cleaner inaccordance with the third embodiment of the present invention will nowbe described.

When the suction force is generated, the air sucked through the inflowtube 311 is guided toward the inner wall of the cyclone main body 313,and thus spirally downwardly moved. The relatively large impurities ofthe cyclone flow are dropped due to the self weight, and collected inthe primary dust container 341 through the space between the cyclonemain body 313 and the dust separation plate 343.

Even if the impurities collected in the primary dust container 341 arere-scattered by the rising air current of the cyclone flow in thecyclone main body 313, the impurities are settled by the dust separationplate 343. Only the primarily filtered air is vertically lifted andpassed through the through hole unit 331 b of the first passagepartition unit 331. The impurities such as hairs are filtered offthrough the through hole unit 331 b of the first passage partition unit331.

The through hole unit 331 b is formed in the first passage partitionunit 331 to occupy a small area in the primary cyclone unit 310, therebysuppressing the flow resistance in the primary cyclone unit 310 andimproving the cleaning performance.

The air passed through the through hole unit 331 b of the first passagepartition unit 331 is guided to the inlets 321 a of the cyclone units321 by the partition unit 331 a of the first passage partition unit 331.The air introduced through the inlets 321 a of the cyclone units 321 isspirally moved to the center portions along the inside surfaces of thecyclone units 321. The impurities are collected in the dust guide unit322 and the secondary dust container 342 through the dust dischargeholes 321 b of the cyclone units 321. The secondarily filtered air isoutwardly horizontally moved in the cyclone units 321, and dischargedthrough the outlets 321 c of the cyclone units 321.

The air discharged through the outlets 321 c of the cyclone units 321 isnot mixed with the flow of the cyclone main body 313 by the secondpassage partition unit 332, but passed through the space between thesecond passage partition unit 332 and the cyclone cover 314 andcompletely externally discharged through the outflow tube 312.

As a result, the impurities are filtered off twice according to thecyclone method, which improves the cleaning performance. The user caneasily remove the impurities collected in the dust container 340 byseparating the dust container 340 from the primary cyclone unit 310 andthe secondary cyclone unit 320.

As discussed earlier, in accordance with the present invention, thesucked air is primarily filtered in the primary cyclone unit, andsecondarily filtered in the secondary cyclone unit. That is, theimpurities are filtered off twice according to the cyclone method,thereby improving the cleaning performance.

The primary cyclone flow of the sucked air is generated in the cyclonecover and the cyclone main body, by forming the inflow tube in thehigher position and changing the shape of the passage partition unit.Accordingly, the cyclone flow generation space is widened in the limitedspace, thereby reducing the length of the product and improving thecleaning performance.

In addition, the flat plate shaped passage partition unit consisting ofthe partition unit and the through hole unit is installed between theprimary cyclone unit and the secondary cyclone unit, for filtering offthe impurities such as hairs. Since the special mesh unit is not needed,the size of the product can be reduced by omitting the installationspace of the mesh unit, or the cleaning performance can be improved bylowering the flow resistance in the installation space of the mesh unit.

As the dust container for collecting the impurities is detachablyinstalled at the lower portion of the primary cyclone unit or thesecondary cyclone unit, the user can discharge the impurities simply byseparating the dust container. That is, the user can easily remove theimpurities.

Furthermore, the dust container for collecting the secondarily-filteredimpurities is disposed in the dust container for collecting theprimarily filtered impurities. Thus, the dust container for collectingthe relatively large impurities is larger than the dust container forcollecting fine dust, thereby efficiently using the space. Moreover, thedust container for collecting the relatively large impurities isexternally shown, so that the user can discharge the impurities at anappropriate time. The mesh unit is installed inside the primary cycloneunit connected to the dust container installed at the relatively outerportion. Accordingly, the user can separate the dust container andeasily remove hairs hooked on the mesh unit from the lower portion.

Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have beendescribed, it is understood that the present invention should not belimited to these preferred embodiments but various changes andmodifications can be made by one skilled in the art within the spiritand scope of the present invention as hereinafter claimed.

1-31. (canceled)
 32. A vacuum cleaner, comprising: a primary cycloneunit for primarily separating impurities from the sucked air by primarycyclone flow; a secondary cyclone unit for secondarily separatingimpurities from the air passing through the primary cyclone unit bysecondary cyclone flow inside a plurality of secondary cyclones, andcollecting the impurities at the center portion of the primary cycloneunit; and a first passage partition unit for guiding the flow of theprimary cyclone unit to inlets of the secondary cyclones, respectively.33. The vacuum cleaner of claim 32, wherein the secondary cyclones areformed in an inclined conical shape with outlets and dust dischargeholes at both axial direction ends, the surfaces of which contacting thefirst passage partition unit being horizontal.
 34. The vacuum cleaner ofclaim 32, comprising eddy current prevention units for partitioning theoutlets of the secondary cyclones in order to prevent an eddy current ofthe air discharged through the outlets of the secondary cyclones. 35.The vacuum cleaner of claim 34, wherein the eddy current preventionunits are partition walls installed to cross the outlets of thesecondary cyclones.
 36. The vacuum cleaner of claim 34, wherein the eddycurrent prevention units are cylindrical members installed on theoutlets of the secondary cyclones in the axial direction.
 37. The vacuumcleaner of claim 32, wherein the first passage partition unit seals upthe gap between the inlet of the primary cyclone unit and the outlets ofthe secondary cyclones, and partially covers the outside surfaces of thesecondary cyclones.
 38. The vacuum cleaner of claim 32, furthercomprising a mesh unit upwardly isolated from the inside bottom surfaceof the primary cyclone unit at a predetermined interval.
 39. The vacuumcleaner of claim 32, wherein the first passage partition unit furthercomprises a region with a plurality of through holes.
 40. The vacuumcleaner of claim 37, wherein the inlets of the secondary cyclones areadjacent to the outside surfaces of the secondary cyclones covered bythe first passage partition unit.
 41. The vacuum cleaner of claim 32,wherein the inlets of the secondary cyclones are opened in the samedirection.
 42. The vacuum cleaner of claim 32, further comprising asecond passage partition unit for isolating the inside flow of theprimary cyclone unit from passages from the outlets of the secondarycyclones.
 43. The vacuum cleaner of claim 42, wherein the second passagepartition unit seals up the spaces between the secondary cyclones inorder to increase the sectional area of the passages from the outlets ofthe secondary cyclones.
 44. The vacuum cleaner of claim 32, wherein thesecondary cyclones are formed inside the inlet of the primary cycloneunit.
 45. The vacuum cleaner of claim 44, wherein the first passagepartition unit isolates the outlets of the secondary cyclones from theinlet of the primary cyclone unit, and has its section downwardlyinclined toward the center portion.
 46. The vacuum cleaner of claim 32,wherein the primary cyclone unit comprises a primary dust container forcollecting impurities, the secondary cyclone unit comprises a secondarydust container installed at the center portion of the primary dustcontainer to communicate with the outlets of the secondary cyclones, andthe first passage partition unit is integrally formed with the secondarydust container.
 47. The vacuum cleaner of claim 32, further comprising adust container detachably coupled to at least one of the primary cycloneunit and the secondary cyclone unit, for collecting the impuritiesseparated in the primary cyclone unit or the secondary cyclone unit. 48.The vacuum cleaner of claim 47, wherein the dust container comprises aprimary dust container for collecting the impurities from the primarycyclone unit, and a secondary dust container formed in the primary dustcontainer, for collecting the impurities from the secondary cycloneunit.
 49. The vacuum cleaner of claim 47, further comprising a sealingmember installed between at least one of the primary cyclone unit andthe secondary cyclone unit and the dust container.
 50. The vacuumcleaner of claim 47, wherein a handle unit is formed at the outerportion of the dust container, and the dust container is downwardlyseparated from the primary cyclone unit or the secondary cyclone unit byusing the handle unit.
 51. The vacuum cleaner of claim 47, furthercomprising a dust separation plate installed between the primary cycloneunit and the dust container.
 52. The vacuum cleaner of claim 51, whereinthe dust separation plate comprises at least one opening unit forpassing dust.
 53. The vacuum cleaner of claim 51, wherein the dustseparation plate is detachably coupled to the dust container.
 54. Thevacuum cleaner of claim 51, wherein the dust separation plate isdetachably coupled to the primary cyclone unit or the secondary cycloneunit.
 55. A vacuum cleaner, comprising: a primary cyclone unit forprimarily separating and collecting impurities from the sucked air byprimary cyclone flow; a secondary cyclone unit for secondarilyseparating and collecting impurities from the air passing through theprimary cyclone unit by secondary cyclone flow; and a dust containerdetachably coupled to at least one of the primary and secondary cycloneunits, for collecting the impurities separated in the primary andsecondary cyclone units.
 56. The vacuum cleaner of claim 55, wherein thedust container comprises a primary dust container for collecting theimpurities from the primary cyclone unit, and a secondary dust containerformed in the primary dust container, for collecting the impurities fromthe secondary cyclone unit.
 57. The vacuum cleaner of claim 55, furthercomprising a sealing member installed between at least one of theprimary cyclone unit and the secondary cyclone unit and the dustcontainer.
 58. The vacuum cleaner of claim 55, wherein a handle unit isformed at the outer portion of the dust container, and the dustcontainer is downwardly separated from the primary cyclone unit or thesecondary cyclone unit by using the handle unit.
 59. The vacuum cleanerof claim 55, further comprising a dust separation plate installedbetween the primary cyclone unit and the dust container.
 60. The vacuumcleaner of claim 59, wherein the dust separation plate comprises atleast one opening unit for passing dust.
 61. The vacuum cleaner of claim59, wherein the dust separation plate is detachably coupled to the dustcontainer.
 62. The vacuum cleaner of claim 59, wherein the dustseparation plate is detachably coupled to the primary cyclone unit orthe secondary cyclone unit.